A. T. Menelikov (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
amourtician) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
ph_logs2024-10-08 09:47 pm
amourtician) wrote in ph_logs2024-10-08 09:47 pm
[CLOSED PLAYER MINI-EVENT] Citrus Quest: The Search for Citron
Who: the people who signed up, plus Lev/Lyubov, Anzu and also Darcy
What: an expedition to gather citrus, and other tropical fruits
Where: Paradesium
When: vaguely backdated to the last week of September
(OOC: feel free to set up prompts during moments not explicitly described, but that would've logically happened — like descending into Paradesium from the caves. There'll be additional prompts going up later, as the expedition progresses.)
Day One: Departure
On a foggy morning in late September, the much-delayed Paradesium expedition is finally ready to set off.
At 5 AM, Anzu is at the arranged meeting spot on the Town Green — just in front of the fountain — along with the camping gear leased from the town hall and from Dr Coldwood. He's pacing around, tense and full of nervous energy, eager to get going ... and besides himself with impatience, since the actual departure is scheduled for after the sun begins to rise. He's turned up early (way too early) to make sure everything is ready, and is now waiting for others to show up.
Lev/Lyubov is dozing in a deck chair they borrowed from the beach, the straps of the tfiln still wrapped around their head and their right arm, and a siddur and their husband's tfiln bag in their lap.
As the sun begins to rise and everyone has gathered and a headcount has been taken, the expedition sets off towards Crane's Ridge. The day is shaping up to be chilly but clear — the sun's pale rays have dispersed the fog.
Anzu falls back and wanders around the ragged column of explorers, checking in with everyone and introducing himself to those he's not had a chance to meet face to face before. He's relaxed some, and the nervous energy has been replaced by frank excitement. He's curious about what Paradesium is like ... and maybe a little too quick to dismiss any potential dangers. After all, how dangerous could a subterranean forest be, in comparison with everything else on and around the isle?
Day One: Setting Up Base Camp
Once the expedition has descended into Paradesium and gotten to a clearing, Anzu calls for a brief halt to take a second head count, and satisfies himself that everyone is accounted for. Compared to his exuberance early that morning, he seems a little subdued and a little awkward — it has finally sunk in that he's going to have to take some charge of the expedition. Leadership is not his forte, after all.Seeing his hesitation, Lev/Lyubov lays a hand on their husband's shoulder and bends down so they're more or less face-to-face. The height difference, usually quite glaring, seems particularly egregious in that moment, as Lev/Lyubov has to fold themself almost in half.
They briefly confer in Yiddish. Satisfied that they've got both permission and blessing, Lev/Lyubov raises their voice just a little — and oh, does their voice carry, even without the acoustics of a shul.
"Oy, may I like, have your attention, if you'd all be so good? Right. I think like, we ought to establish a base camp here, rather than farther in. Once it's up, anyone what wishes may explore further, but I suggest that we stray not too far from here, at least the first day. I'm sure that like, Phil shall go find anyone what gets lost, but getting lost would be embarrassing, and the wrong way to start off."
They look around at the assembled, and awkwardly clear their throat, ducking their head.
"After lunch, we can meet to figure who'll go scout out potential routes, and take a vote on how to proceed. Or like, at least have a big argument about what to do and like, have to find a compromise on purpose, instead of waiting for one to materialise out of the aether," they pause, bite their lower lip, and clarify, "sorry, like. Been to too many workers' council meetings. The argument is like, optional."
Anzu raises an eyebrow at his husband, then squeezes their hand, and whispers something to them. Lev/Lyubov blushes brighter.
"Well, darlings! Any objections?" Anzu says. "If anyone here's got the relevant experience, they ought speak up before we all blunder into a mandatory ghost convention."
Day One: Evening/Night Watch
The camp is set up, the expedition members have all had enough time to meet each other and ascertain that there's no deadly grudges among them; Anzu is more or less satisfied that things are going well, but he's restless. Mindful that he shouldn't wander off alone, he contents himself with wandering around the base camp's perimeter, still technically within the camp itself ... but at a little distance from where most of everyone else is congregating. It's less that he can find nothing to do just now, to mitigate the restlessness, and more that he needs some time to think, to plan the next move.The day moves towards evening. He notes down several likely directions in a notebook, and casts one final look around, before conceding to himself that he ought to call a meeting.
Once everyone has gathered, he's brief and to the point: "I've identified three possible routes from here. I suggest we break up into groups, nu? With sending stones and our, ah, aerial division," he nods at Phil, "it should be little trouble keeping in touch."
He pauses, double-checks the notes he made and adds, "ah, the last route ... it's one I'd prefer to explore myself. I've found a trail that leads, as far as I can ascertain, to a cave system. There may be a passage deeper into the underground. A second level, of sorts. Anyone what minds not some proper spelunking, I'd appreciate the assistance, darlings."
Day Two: Morning Recoinessance
Coming soon (along with prompts for the other days).
Day One
Darcy's always up early. They've never been a 'morning person' in the sense of being happy to be awake early, but early morning has meant less people around everywhere they've been and they like a morning jog. So they're here, hefting supplies like a pack mule, with their sword and dagger close at hand and a couple of extras tied to their bedroll.
"Do you want me to carry that?" they offer to anyone nearby.
Base camp
To Lev's schpiel, she snarks back-
"All in favour of making the arguments mandatory, say aye."
She's never properly camped in their life, not in an actual proper outdoors with bugs and dirt and all, but she knows one single thing via cultural osmosis and her Aunt who did.
You eat a lot because there's nothing else to do.
So alongside Max she helps set up the cooking fire, and then mans the food so that nothing burns. Otherwise, she'll be found keeping some sort of perimeter around the camp, or trying to remember how Dimitri taught her to make a snare trap. Probably for food, but... just in case for anything else. Darcy mistrusts the outdoors at the best of times, much less when shit is weird.
Departure
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"Edgar? From when I was stealing all of those swords."
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...
No one's ever given him a script for this. How do you talk to a bare acquaintance when you run into them again after months and huge life/afterlife changes? And why does it feel more awkward than meeting for the first time?
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They were so fucking cool.
"Anyway. What's your deal. You into plants or some shit?"
If you get on Darcy's level, you can mostly ignore scripts because they're stupid and brute force your way through any amount of awkwardness.
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"... Kind of? I mean, not saying I know a lot about plants, just interested. Mostly coming along to fight anything needs fighting. And help carry stuff back, I guess. You?"
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Kinda gestures, "plus, like, interfaith solidarity. Apparently they need some kind of citrus for a festival, so. May as well help. If I'm going to be beating up wildlife I may as well do it for a good reason."
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Extremely bad joke that will probably go over his head but it had to be made.
"I'm planning on asking about it later. Probably when we get set up. If Anzu's less... morning person by then."
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"Fair enough. Anzu, that's his first name? Dr. Mene- Mele- fellow who got all this together?"
Look, he's never heard the name said out loud.
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It's not perfect, but Darcy at least has enough German pronunciation in them to get the gist of it.
"He's really cool. He's a doctor- like an actual doctor, not like a PhD doctor, but like, with ghost stuff."
Still a little bit over their head as to what that entails, but cool all the same.